Titanium
by Gunpowder Cookies
Summary: They were hardly knight and princess, hero and heroine. But they were close enough, and would stand their ground regardless. Songfic of 'Titanium' by David Guetta, GaLe. Rated T for swearing.


**AN: I'm writing fanfiction- wohoo! To my friend Bethany for beating me at so many bets.**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the song nor Fairy Tail. 'Titanium' is property of David Guetta.**_

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_You shout it out_

_But I can't hear a word you say_

_I'm talking loud, not saying much_

He crumpled right in front of her.

Levy heard him shout at her to run, she knew deep down that doing so would be the rational choice. Of course she didn't. Some subconscious part of her deafened her to the warning signals, blocked out all danger. Gajeel was on the floor, cursing at his inability to get up. Blood, sweat and dirt were matted in his wild mane of hair.

The gang were around, kicking at him. Levy was saying something, she didn't know what, just cliché stock lines being spewed out to try and drown out his grunts of pain. It was weird, surreal, this situation she found herself in. Like being in some nightmare- surely she'd wake up soon? Why wasn't she waking up? Was this real?

One of them grabbed her by the arm, dragging her away to god-knows-where for whatever reason. The moment contact was made, she started, the world shooting into focus. Everything seemed more real, because this wasn't a nightmare, she was living it and Gajeel's pain was as real as pain could get.

It was at that moment that the petite, fragile Levy decided it was time to stand up and fight.

_I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet_

_You shoot me down, but I get up._

She wasn't admitting defeat. Not when she had Erza and Lucy and Jet and Droy to go home to. Not when she had Gajeel to fight for.

He – that is, he who had been dragging her away for _something_ - had two arms pinned behind her back- she kicked off the ground and headbutted him, then took his surprise and temporary vulnerability as a chance to twist free.

"Solid script: Water!" Levy cried, sending a wave towards him and then a cooling spell, freezing him to the ground. The others jumped to see that the girl they had supposedly captured had already managed to take down their teammate without them even noticing. Nodding to each other and content that there was no chance of Gajeel resisting any longer, they surrounded the girl.

Four on one- five if you counted the man she had just knocked out. It was hardly a fair fight, but she would do her utmost best.

_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose_

_Fire away, fire away_

She lowered her arms and spun around. "Solid script: Whirlwind!"

Currents of wind surrounded her, letters dancing in the breeze, sending them scattering like ants. Levy could hardly see through the wild cloud of her hair, but couldn't care less. She was in battle mode, enraged and fighting for her friends.

One of them threw a fire attack at her- she answered with water, then dodged a punch aimed at her. Crouching on the ground, she quickly chanted her spell and the word 'hole' appeared beneath his feet.

Two down, three to go.

_Ricochet, you take your aim_

_Fire away, fire away_

Obviously, they had been hesitant before, but now they realised that Levy meant serious business and there would be no holding back. Another wind attack sent one slamming into a tree, and she just managed to duck a wood based attack.

Levy hissed at the wood mage- of course, she had seen him earlier. He was the one who had made the branches restrain her, reduced her to some damsel in distress that Gajeel had to protect. Just the very thought of such uselessness as she had displayed then made the bookworm's teeth grind.

Another mage's attack struck, knocking her off balance. Levy got up, crouched down as she assessed her next move before crossing her arms. "Solid script: Light!"

A bright light flew into his face, temporarily blinding the criminal. When he blinked, still with bright spots in his vision, the first thing he saw was her fist as it connected with his face.

_You shoot me down but I won't fall _

_I am titanium_

The fire of hatred that had fuelled her cooled considerably as she glanced at Gajeel.

Being a good friend doesn't just mean fighting, it also meant supporting the ones you love when that support is needed. She could have taken that moment to finish them off, but Levy changed her mind.

"Solid script: Mist!"

The cloudy word appeared before her, and, with a wave of her hand, began to spread out until the battlefield was filled with dense fog. She couldn't see in front of her, but Levy knew roughly where she was needed.

Nevertheless, Levy almost tripped over him. Regaining her balance, the solid script mage dropped to her knees, suddenly breathless and aware of what a grubby mess she was, tousled hair, torn clothes, dirt on her face.

"Gajeel!"

He looked up, giving her a lopsided grin. "Some nice fighting there, shrimp."

_You shoot me down but I won't fall_

_I am titanium_

She was tempted to slap him, but she was pretty sure he'd received a bad enough beating. Normally, Levy would be sobbing- but this was different, adrenaline was coursing through her veins, her heartbeat skittish and frantic.

"You idiot! Why did you- Why didn't you-"

"What else was I supposed to do?"

Levy bit her lip in frustration. "You should have left; it was god-knows-how-many against one! You're powerful, but it was obvious that you stood no chance!"

"And what, was I just supposed to leave you!"

She had no reply, but balled her hands into fists before relaxing enough to cast her magic. And, just like on Tenrou island, the word 'iron' appeared in front of him, once again with a little heart in the o. Content, Levy stood up, and held out a hand to help him.

Except he didn't get the chance to take it because she screamed, the world lit up with lightning, and collapsed.

_Cut me down_

_But it's you who have further to fall_

_Ghost town, haunted love_

Her scream was shrill, ear splitting, tearing through the very fabric of hope that had emerged. But it wasn't the sound that affected him- it was her face, the pure terror and pain effortlessly overshadowed by the pang of apology in her eyes. Before she was Icarus, flying high, and now her wings had fallen apart and she fell to her demise in a sea of despair.

And now there was nothing but deafening silence.

The two men turned their backs. "They're gone for sure. Put up one hell of a fight."

Iron.

Its sheen was dull, but it was there, muddy as it was. It was there and ripe for the taking. Gajeel wouldn't have been aware, wouldn't have cared had a shaky hand not nudged it further toward him.

Brown eyes met red.

Levy nodded, silently confirming some plan that they both knew, before she allowed herself to close those eyes and submit to her wounds.

_Raise your voice, sticks and stones may break my bones_

_I'm talking loud, not saying much_

She could make out _some _sounds- the clashing of metal, the usual grunts and groans and cries of battle. _Who _was on the receiving end of _what_ was uncertain, as her vision was blurred by tears.

Gajeel Redfox, knight in battered, bloodstained armour. Levy McGarden, the limp, borderline lifeless princess. She couldn't fight, she could barely move, not after taking that lightening attack. Because she should have seen it coming the moment she chose Gajeel over finishing them off, she should have known that decision would come and stab her in the back- figuratively and almost literally if you replaced the dagger with electricity.

She wasn't going to imagine a funeral. She wasn't going to think of the tiny coffin she'd have compared to Gajeel's. She wasn't going to think of Fairy Tail in mourning and she certainly wasn't praying that they'd put snowdrops on her grave- she loved snowdrops. Levy wasn't going to think about death because she wasn't going to let that happen, and neither would Gajeel.

Pantherlily was gone, disappeared to somewhere-or-other; there was no escaping, not that the pair would have dreamed of such. Especially Gajeel, who was currently enraged and fighting with all his strength. His strikes were brutal, clumsy, but unrivalled in strength.

_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose_

_Fire away, fire away_

_Ricochet, you take your aim_

_Fire away, fire away_

A swift and one flew into a tree, knocked out cold by the sheer force of the impact. Surely, surely all this strength had not purely come from the consumption of iron. Maybe it was that cheesy 'power of love' bullshit, Gajeel didn't really care, but the girl that he maybe-just-possibly-loved had just been electrocuted right in front of him. He was pissed. Both were hard, solid facts that stood as his greatest weapons.

There was one left. One who smiled cockily. He wasn't the lightning mage- that bastard wouldn't be getting up for a good while- but he showed no sign of apology, no concern for the limp form of a teenaged girl. Yes, that was truly a sin that was to be punished.

_You shoot me down but I won't fall_

_I am titanium_

So when Gajeel was sent flying back by a tree branch smacking him in the face, he realised- it was that wood mage again. Curse them for being in a _motherfucking forest _when against a wood mage. The trees batted him around like a pinball, getting more and more forceful until Gajeel was thrown to the ground to avoid the branches.

"Gajeel!"

He had expected to see Levy screaming in pain or something- he didn't know, something girly and cliché and suiting to her situation. But no. Levy had somehow forced herself back onto her knees, crawling over towards him, a desperate hand extended.

The iron dragonslayer knew it was a bad idea, he knew what implications it could have on both of them in such a weakened state, but he didn't care because he'd be damned if this was a battle they couldn't win.

Taking her hand (petite, dainty) in his own (rough, calloused), Gajeel wrapped an arm around her waist to support her. She could barely stand even with his help, one hand clinging onto him for dear life. This should have been taken as a sign that his idea was a bad one, but Gajeel was willing to go through with it.

"Unison raid!"

_Stone hard, machine gun_

_Firing at the ones who run_

_Stone-hard, as bulletproof glass_

The word 'iron' danced, the letters swirling into anagrams before settling as 'noir'. And then they pounded together, welded into a different shape entirely, into the shape of a dragon.

It roared and the mage went flying, but Levy and Gajeel stood their ground, clinging onto each other as pillars of strength, even with the air around them caught in a giddy whirl. The wind raged, assisted by Levy's diminishing magic, tearing the dragon apart as it screeched, causing the iron to mould into different shapes- birds, and army of them, all attacking at once.

When the two were finally satisfied that the fight was over they allowed themselves to collapse to their knees.

_You shoot me down but I won't fall_

_I am titanium_

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "You're stupid, you know that, Miss No-Running-Away?"

"You too, Mr Know-I-Wouldn't."

Voices came from the distance, familiar. "Levy?" came the concerned call of a celestial wizard.

"Come on out, metalhead!" was the not-so-worried shout of Fairy Tail's salamander. Other sounds drifted through the trees: they couldn't be too far away.

The blue haired bookworm exhaled in relief. "That must be where Lily went… smart cat."

They both sighed, relaxing now that they knew they were in safe hands before she looked up.

"How much time do you reckon we have?"

"Enough."

She didn't have the strength nor the will to resist when he pulled her fragile body into his warm, bear-like embrace. And he didn't have the intelligence to consider why on earth anybody would oppose to being kissed by the critically injured girl of your dreams directly after you almost both died in the fight of your lives.

Yes, Levy and Gajeel had their foibles, their imperfections, their weaknesses.

But they as a pair held unrivaled potential.

_You shoot me down but I won't fall_

_I am titanium_

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**AN: Written at 3 am. Forgive any mistakes, I'll correct them in the morning.**


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